The growth of the cruise industry worldwide, particularly in Europe, and the increasing capacity of ships, emphasized the need for Leixões to respond to a demand that continues to grow, for ships with a length above 250m that were passing by and could not call at this port under previous conditions.

With the construction of the Porto Cruise Terminal located in Matosinhos and opened in 2015, but more specifically the new dock with a length of 340m opened in April 2011, the Port of Leixões started hosting most of the cruise ships in the current global fleet, up to 320m.

The tourism and environmental potential represented by Porto and Northern Portugal, alongside other Atlantic maritime-port cities, has led the development of diversified and distinctive products compared to the offerings of other destinations and regions. Leixões regularly receives themed cruises based on wines, which have at Leixões a privileged port of call.

Another key factor for Leixões is its proximity to Porto International Airport, which has direct connections to the most important European destinations, the US and Brazil. Besides that, Porto & North of Portugal Destination has available a vast range of hotels, which allows the Porto Cruise Terminal in Matosinhos to enhance its role as a turnaround port, that is, a port for the beginning and end of cruise ship journeys.